On September 24, 1962, trying to jump from one balcony to another, which was not a long distance and common among the fearless construction workers, Jones slipped on sand and fell 40 stories off the east tower. He landed on a ramp leading down to State Street.

(Above) A worker stands at the foot of the wooden ramp. Jones landed about in the center of the incline.

McGurn Brothers, meanwhile, would soon be in a dispute with the general contractor, James McHugh Construction Company, over McHugh canceling a plastering and lathing contract. The plastering company sued McHugh for $1 million and on January 16, 1963, filed a $299,348 lien against them.

Plastering and lathing is done to interior walls of a building. Although drywall had been around since 1952, city code prevented its use in high-rise construction because the wood studs it connected to were not adequately fireproof. Eventually, metal studs would be invented but until about 1965 all high-rise construction in Chicago used plaster walls.